I'm in a slump

So I know that I have not posted an update in quite a while. The reason for that is, well, I just don't have much to talk about right now as far as my crafting goes. I have been working on the same items for what feels like forever.

I started the Evenstar shawl KAL when it came out, and that shawl has taken up at least 90% of my knitting time. In the beginning I was doing well. I was keeping up with the clues, getting one completed just before the next one came out. But now I have fallen an entire clue behind. I am just ready to finish Clue 4, and Clue 6 comes out tomorrow I think. I don't really know what my deal is, maybe I am just a slow knitter compared to other folks. But at 500+ stitches per round I seem to only be able to get maybe 2 rounds done per day when I sit and work on it (and I am not always in the mood to work on it). But all the knitting on it has taken up my knitting time and I haven't been able to work on much else.

I started the Glynis sock from Cookie A's Sock Innovation book when Carin of Round the Twist started hers. I don't know about this pattern. So far I think it is the least favorite sock I have knit. The chart for it is really small, 12 stitches across and 9 rows, but its got a lot of K3tog and SSSK's in it. The yarn I am using is beautiful, my "Velvet Grapes" Malabrigo, but I have a hard time seeing the pattern with it. I will keep going with it, I'm almost to the heel of the first sock, but I am not very motivated to work on it. It doesn't hold my interest like the other socks I have done. So when I am not working on the Evenstar I am working on this.

And I also have my poor Lelah top. No more progress has been made on it. It's still around 7 inches long. I haven't had the time or desire to work on it but I leave it sitting right next to my desk in case I feel like picking it up.

But herein lies the problem: all three of these projects are some sort of lace. I think that's my problem. There is too much thinking required with all of them. Now don't get me wrong... I love lace. Especially lace patterns with laceweight yarn like my shawls. This is because I always feel the need to do something difficult and challenge myself. Like when I decide I want to learn how to do something, I am not satisfied just learning the regular stuff. I want to learn the hard stuff. Take my bellydance for example. I don't just want to be able to dance, I want to be able to do it while playing finger cymbals or balancing a sword on my head. Yeah. I'm like that.

However, I also need to have some kind of comfort project. One that just makes me feel good and relaxed when I work on it. Something fairly mindless and easy. I've got a ton of tv shows that I need to catch up on watching, but if I am too busy looking at my knitting and trying to remember a lace pattern, I am not able to pay attention. I'm thinking maybe I should start on a pair of plain vanilla socks. Maybe I will get some of that self-patterning sock yarn and just knit a pair of socks in stockinette. That sounds really good to me right now. I've been looking at some Vesper sock yarn online. People have been talking about that stuff a lot lately and it would be perfect. Or even some of the sock yarn that I got at JoAnn Fabrics to make my nephews baby socks with.

But that is where I stand with my knitting right now. I am still working on things, just not with any real speed or determination. Things are pretty stagnant right now. Same goes for my spinning. I have some of this pastel colored merino/tencel from Chameleon Colorworks on my wheel. I spun the first 4oz onto one bobbin and had the idea that I would try to navajo ply it. Well that turned out horribly. I just could not get the hang of that plying style and I ended up wasting a good many yards that came out all overspun and tangly looking and went in the trash. It was very frustrating to me and not the least bit enjoyable. So I gave up on that idea and started spinning the second 4oz on another bobbin and I will just 2-ply them the way I normally do. I'm not very jazzed about this fiber. I think I pretty much hate pastel colors. They bore the crap out of me or something and I am just not enjoying this spinning experience at all. I need to just power through it and get it done so that I can move on to something else and get this off the bobbins. I think this particular project has really killed my spinning mojo, and I have barely done any spinning in the past couple months.

Basically I need a new drug. I need a new fiber for my wheel that I really love to work with. I need a new knitting project that I can't seem to put down. 'Cause right now... it's the doldrums.

Ravelympics Medals

Here are the medals that I received for my completed projects. I will proudly and permanently display them on the right side column on this blog =)




I also received my Ravelympics 2010 pin in the mail today. Yay! I'm starting a collection ;)

Second Ravelympics Project Complete!

It was down to the wire, but I got my Shalom sweater finished while watching the closing ceremonies tonight. Woo!

Olympic Project #1 Complete!

The socks are done!




I have 3 days left to work on the sweater. I don't know if finishing is possible, but I will try.

Video Update 2

The Aeolian Blocking Experience

I finally finished it this weekend! My goal was to get it done by Feb 12 since I will be starting the Evenstar Knit-A-Long then, and didn't want to have 2 shawls on the needles at once. I had all the knitting done on Saturday and had the shawl bound off. On Sunday I had my first large-scale lace blocking experience. I was nervous that I was going to do something to mess it up.

I laid out my Knit Picks blocking mats on the floor and put the shawl on it to take a pre-blocking measurement and photo.


The shawl measured 54" across the top, 36" on the diagonal sides, and 22" long from top to bottom center.

I knew I would not have enough blocking mats to make a large enough surface, so I used a cork board in the center and arranged the blocking mats around it. I then laid a large towel on top. I soaked the shawl in a dishtub with tepid water and a little bit of Kookaburra Wool Wash for about 10 minutes or so. Then I rolled it up in a towel to get some of the water out of it. While it was still damp I laid it out on the blocking surface.

I had ordered some blocking wires from Knit Picks some time ago, but this was my first attempt at using them. I ran the wires through the top first, and then the main points on the sides and stretched it out. Then I used T pins to hold them in place. I used regular dressmaker pins to set the rest of the points in the shawl. The pattern instructions said to pin out the main points first and then 4 additional points for each section. I pinned mine out a little differently I think. I did one set of points on each side of the main point and then one point between each section. I like the way it looks and it seemed a logical way to do it.


When I was finished pinning, this is what it looked like:


I sprayed some water on it with a squirt bottle when I was finished pinning because it had already started to dry a good bit. Then I left it pinned out all day and at night I took all the pins and wires out. The finished measurements were 59” wide at top, 56” diagonal on sides, and 32” long in center.

Here are some photos my husband took of me with it the next day.


I started working on this shawl in April of 2009, so 10 months ago. Granted there were many months where I didn't work on it at all. I am very excited to finally have finished my first lace shawl.

My crafting has been really productive lately. I've got a ton of finished objects to talk about, but I am going to wait and make a video update for that soon so look for that to be added here in the near future.

I'm looking forward to starting the Ravelympics this weekend. For anyone reading this who doesn't know what that is, it's a "knitting olympics" to coincide with the Winter Games. You start an object during opening ceremonies and finish it before the closing ceremonies. There is no real prize other than the satisfaction of knowing you did a good job. =) I joined Team Knitmore and Team Sasquatch on Ravelry since I always listen to the podcasts of the team leaders. I am planning to make the Spring Forward socks out of my Knit Picks Imagination sock yarn in "Unicorn" (a project that I already started once but ripped out because I felt I needed to use larger needles) and another Fuzzy Ballet Sweater out of some Bernat Alpaca in "Stone".

I also plan to start my Evenstar Shawl this weekend... if my order of Valley Yarns 2/14 Alpaca Silk from WEBS is delivered in time. We've not been getting mail here lately due to the monster snowstorm last weekend here in the D.C. metro area. We had something near 30" of snow and are expecting another 10-14" between today and tomorrow. I wish it were spring already....

Christmas Gift Photos

I just realized that I never posted any photos of the things that I made and gave out this year that were not in my last video update. So here we go!

Princess Snowball Cat Bed for my cousin Laura, made of Fun Fur and Caron Simply Soft.


Star Crossed Slouchy Beret for my cousin Faith, made of Bernat Alpaca in "Ebony".


Nativity Angels for 3 of my grandmas made out of various Red Heart yarns.


Magic Loop Minis ornaments for 2 of my aunts made of Premier Yarns Serenity Sock.


Harry Bear for my nephew made of Caron Cozi and a little Patons Brilliant for his scarf and some crochet cotton in black for his embroidered nose. He has black plastic safety eyes in 9mm.


And lastly, the Be My Dishcloth that I made for my mom from Lily Sugar'n Cream Cotton for my mom for Valentine's Day.